Bans on Same-Sex Marriage May Affect Mental Health

[t0dd]

Gay, lesbian and bisexual people living in states with institutional discrimination -- such as bans on same-sex marriage -- are at increased risk of psychiatric disorders, says a new study.

Researchers analyzed data from lesbians, gays and bisexuals who were interviewed in 2001-2002 and 2004-2005 for the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. The participants lived in states that instituted constitutional amendments banning gay marriage following the 2004-2005 elections.

The researchers found a significant increase in the prevalence of mood disorders, generalized anxiety disorders and alcohol use disorders among lesbians, gays and bisexuals after the states banned gay marriage. The greatest increase -- more than 200 percent -- was seen in generalized anxiety disorder.

The study findings are published online and in the March print issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

"Before this study, little was known about the impact of institutional discrimination toward lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals in our society," senior author Deborah Hasin, an epidemiologist at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, said in a university news release. "The study highlights the importance of abolishing institutional forms of discrimination, including those leading to disparities in the mental health and well-being of LGB individuals."

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/636633.html

[RKP5637]

1. +1000. No shit! At least it's in a study now. n/t

[donco6]

2. It's a rare week that I'm not compared to Satan.

That can get you down after a while.

[foxfeet]

3. I used to work with Deborah Hasin at NYSPI. (Before the Punic Wars.)

She is solid, a good researcher and a good human being. I'm glad she's applied her skills to this issue.

[applegrove]

4. No kidding. Poor kids of wingnuts hit 11 and must pretend to be something they are not

till they are old enough to be on their own. Gay hate is just so awful. It stops young life ..... cold.

[offog]

7. Right on, applegrove.

I'm a straight woman who has a lot of sympathy for gays due to some high school experiences. First, I had a couple of buddies who suffered because they were considered "faggy looking". Second, I was a very geeky kid, so I have some sense of how miserable it is to feel like you don't fit in anywhere and have to hide who you really are. I don't wish that on anyone.

I very much want to see the next generation of kids have an easier time of it than my generation.

[applegrove]

8. I worked at a place that helped people with housing. And the number of gay and lesbian

kids who came in looking for housing was really disturbing. They were so young. I could empathize with them not because I was gay but because I didn't grow in my teenage years (a friend controlled me and I didn't think for myself - my parents were blind to her sunny disposition in public) and I thought to myself how horrible it was when any teen doesn't get to grow. And how it must be so much harder for gay and lesbian teens because they get kicked out of their homes at times. I a message for a politician about the issue at the time and he liked my attitude too - he called me back but I was too shy to get back to him at the time (didn't know my strength with empathy at the time). Now I would probably call him back.

[WVRICK13]

5. The Mental Abuse of Society

affected me in negative ways during my youth. Thanks to my parents and their acceptance of me (actually my entire families acceptance, including those few Republicans in the clan) I found strength in the courage to be myself. If someone has a problem with me and my partner of 20 years that is their problem, not mine. The thing that pisses me off is to be legally denied the same rights under contract law. Why should I have to use numerous back door approaches to ensure my partner keeps our home and property if I die first. Why can't my partner draw on my Social Security when the time comes? Plus insurance family plans and a host of other issues.

[RKP5637]

6. This is a country of equal rights for all, isn't that what they taught us in school? What they

left out was all of the stuff between the lines, the millions for which this doesn't apply for many reasons and not just gay people. A pack of lies! The BS is this country is extraordinary. It's not the worst place to live but it CERTAINLY is NOT the best place for many people in many walks of life.

[WVRICK13]

9. There Is Definitely More Than

one group victimized by the lies of our country. My father, a WWII vet who is now 90, used to tell me the only difference between the US and the USSR is the USSR doesn't lie about their motives. His main gripe was property taxes. The USSR tells you that you own nothing, the US gives you the right to buy property then makes you pay rent on it every year. That is one example I can think of from my father. He is pretty amazing for a WV native with a military background. When I told him I was gay he said, "you are my son and I love you. A man has to live his life for himself not his parents. Your happiness is the most important thing."

[RKP5637]

10. Your father seems a very wise man! n/t